Boy, 13, gets probation for online plot to attack Canton's Temple
On the internet no one can tell if you’re a dog... or a 13-year old. [MSN -Repository] A 13-year-old has been convicted of juvenile charges tied to an online plot to "burn down and shoot up" Temple Israel, a Jewish synagogue.
The Plain Township boy pleaded true, the juvenile equivalent of guilty, to misdemeanor counts of inducing panic and disorderly conduct during a court appearance Friday.
Stark County Family Court Judge Jim James then sentenced the boy to a year of probation, according to a court document filed in the case.
During the next year, he's not permitted to use the internet without supervision. He has to read a book about Carl Lutz, the Swiss diplomat credited with saving the lives of tens of thousands of Jews from the Holocaust in Budapest, Hungary, during World War II. The boy then must submit a book report to the juvenile probation department.
The 13-year-old also has to continue to get counseling with a licensed therapist.
BOY IN TEMPLE ISRAEL PLOT GETS SUSPENDED SENTENCE
The judge suspended a 90-day sentence at the Multi-County Juvenile Attention Center. If the boy violates the terms of his probation, he could be ordered to serve the remaining sentence. The judge credited the boy with 10 days the youth served at Multi-County after his September arrest.
An upcoming hearing in the case, initially scheduled for Wednesday, was canceled.
Friday's hearing, which was not scheduled as of a couple of days ago, took place a day after Stark County Family Court Judge Michelle Cordova signed an order sealing, except for his initials, the boy's name or any information that could lead to him being identified from public disclosure, including the name of his mother.
The order came as the national media took interest in the case amid national scrutiny of antisemitism across the country since the Hamas
...not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
attacks in Israel on Oct. 7 that killed about 1,200. The Stark County Prosecutor's Office sought the order.
TEMPLE ISRAEL ONLINE ATTACK DISCUSSED ON DISCORD
On Thursday, the Stark County Sheriff's Office released an incident report that shows that an FBI agent and two county sheriff's deputies met with the boy and his mother on Sept. 7 at their Plain Township home.
The agent said he had learned the boy was discussing with an unknown person in Washington plans to burn down and conduct a shooting at Temple Israel in Canton. The boy had obtained a map of the synagogue.
The boy confirmed to the agent that he was a member of more than one antisemitic group in Discord, according to the sheriff's office report. The deputies then arrested the boy.
It's not clear if the person in Washington was also questioned or arrested.
The group-chat app platform Discord later said it had reported the discussions the boy was having online to the FBI.
The deputies advised the mom that the boy was not to return to school until the school district superintendent spoke with the boy and the mom. It's not clear if the boy has returned to school.
Posted by: trailing wife 2023-12-16 |